Sunday, 19 February, will be a night of quality telly watching whether you find yourself in the UK or the U.S. For U.S. audiences a day that we’ve all been waiting for, but a day viewers obsessed with Downton Abbey secretly hoped would never come. Sunday, February 19 at 9p ET/8p CT, the season finale of Downton Abbey, a show that has the distinction of being the second most watched show on Super Bowl Sunday, will air on PBS stations across the country. Ok, it did finish just over 112 million viewers behind the ‘big game’, but it still finished second, ahead of CSI: Miami (CBS), Family Guy (Fox) and The Middle (ABC).

In the UK, BBC One will premiere the new season of Upstairs Downstairs at 9:30pm following the season finale of Call the Midwife. Even though Dame Eileen Atkins decided against returning for the second series, Jean Marsh, who missed the early filming on the series while recovering from a minor stroke, will return to 165 Eaton Place as Rose Buck. Also returning will be Keeley Hawes and Ed Stoppard, along with new cast members Alex Kingston (Doctor Who, ER), Emilia Fox, Sarah Lancashire and Kenneth Cranham.

If you’re in the States, not to worry, the second series of Upstairs Downstairs will air as part of the PBS Masterpiece series in 2013 along with the third series of both Downton Abbey and Sherlock. I know I said 2012 will be a stellar year for quality telly but 2013 is already shaping up to be better than ever. Until then, enjoy the second series finale of Downton Abbey with the knowledge that there will be a series three in 2013.

Can someone say why PBS doesn’t let you know in advance that a show like Upstairs, Downstairs, is finishing it’s season or why Midwife just vanished from viewing. Seems daft to me and very annoying.
Same can be said of BBC America, what happened to “Copper”.

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From your host, Bill Young

The Brits produce some of the best shows on television. As Vice President of Television Programming at KERA (Dallas/Ft. Worth), I have a job that affords me the opportunity to screen and evaluate much of the available British television catalogue for possible broadcast to American PBS audiences like you. And through this site, I share new programs and UK television news with you, so check back often!

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@RJKelley1@keratx Has to be the Christmas Lunch episode. Then again, the manger scene is pretty darn funny! Yours?,Dec 11